Pax Americana RIP

Jonah Goldberg, who has somehow gotten a writing job with the L.A. Times, writes that America is not an empire, it just leads the free world and keeps the peace:

Whatever sway the U.S. holds over far-flung reaches of the globe is derived from the fact that we have been, and hopefully shall continue to be, the leader of the free world, offering help and guidance, peace and prosperity, where and when we can, as best we can, and asking little in return. If that makes us an empire, so be it. But I think "leader of the free world" is the only label we'll ever need or -- one hopes -- ever want.

I pretty much agree with this (although the "asking little in return" part is both smarmy and wrong). There's just one little problem with Goldberg's thesis: Pax Americana is over. The free world no longer looks to the U.S. as its leader. U.S. power is no longer sufficient to keep the international peace, especially stripped of its allies. And this is directly due to policies and choices that Jonah Goldberg and his conservative cadres have consistently supported, policies enacted by leaders that Goldberg has consistently lionized. Ironically, this column would have been much more appropriate in the 1990s, when Pax Americana was still in full effect, thanks to the steady hand of leaders that Jonah Goldberg consistently demonized and ridiculed.

I share Jonah Goldberg's belief that Pax Americana was good for the world. And that's just one more reason why Goldberg and his ilk have done the world so much harm by preaching what they preach.